Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
Welcome one and all to our beautiful new skin! This marks the visual era of Adventu 4.0, our 4th and by far best design we've had. 3.0 suited our needs for a very long time, but as things are evolving around the site (and all for the better thanks to all of you), it was time for a new, sleek change. The Resource Site celebrity Pharaoh Leep was the amazing mastermind behind this with minor collaborations from your resident moogle. It's one-of-a-kind and suited specifically for Adventu. Click the image for a super easy new skin guide for a visual tour!
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When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me
❞
The wind swept across the mostly flat plain, steppes and mountains faded in the distance as the mist settled, the shadow of the great tower looming far above him. The weather was perfect, just cool enough, but also just warm enough to keep the sun from beating down on the raven haired King. Hunting had become kind of a past time while he gathered information and pondered his next move, and it managed to keep his pockets full enough to sustain himself (and anyone else that joined in). Not having the others with him felt like he was severely handicapped, and no one out there really fought like Ignis, Gladio or Prompto, but he managed, and the longer he spent fighting, the stronger he became.
Eventually, he figured, he would be back to full strength, and then he could make his move.
Whatever the hell that was.
His arm shot out to his side, the Engine Blade appearing in his hand in a crystalline flourish. Scanning the landscape, he saw a particularly large rock, tall enough to settle on without disturbance, but low enough that he could get the drop on the Coeurls that he was hunting. Surprise attacks worked best on them, and the ones here seemed very similar (if not the same) as the Eos native ones. Remembering Ignis' tactics on fighting them would keep him from getting shocked, and taking the high ground would ensure that every move he made would be a fatal blow.
Hurling his sword to the rock, the blade stuck in the side as he vanished in the same crystalline flourish as before, appearing and hanging off the side before kicking off and launching himself upward, the blade disappearing as he made footfall on a level surface, taking a knee and scanning the horizon. If the one that posted the bounty was correct, the group comes through this part of the plains daily, on their way to a pond for water. Even solitary Behemoths avoided this area, so nothing else would (should) interfere. He stayed in his kneeling position, and patiently waited for his bounty.
“Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus and take to the sky.”
In no particular hurry to reach his destination, Genesis was soaring lazily through the air on his back. He held an open copy of Loveless above him to keep the sun out of his eyes, and he scanned the opening words of Act I with his lips pursed in concentration. The day held a slight breeze that brushed the feathers of his one outstretched wing, and he was so enjoying the journey that it was with some amount of regret that he finally tucked the book back in his red coat. Flipping onto his stomach to continue flying, Genesis considered the tower coming into view ahead of him.
Truthfully, he had yet to visit the mountain range to the east of Torensten, but there had seemed like no better time than while Sephiroth was conducting whatever business he had up in Sonora. As infuriatingly quiet as the silver-haired man was, his absence still made their shared apartment feel smaller somehow. Genesis was far too social to spend that much time alone, so he’d eventually decided on a road-trip. Perhaps he’d even manage to bring back a souvenir from the supposedly heavily-guarded tower. The possibilities perked him up nearly as much as reading Loveless had. But only nearly.
As he flew towards the shadow that the enormous tower cast on the grass, a flash of blue light on the ground directed his gaze towards a pile of rocks off to the side. To his surprise, a man suddenly appeared as the light faded, holding onto a blade caught in a boulder before he kicked off it and took a crouching position on top of the rock instead.
Now that was an interesting type of magic.
His curiosity struck, Genesis folded in his wing and dove straight down, taking a casual seat on a nearby boulder. His legs dangled off the side as the wind from his swift descent ruffled the other man’s hair.
“When the war of the beasts brings about the world’s end, the goddess descends from the sky,” he quoted with a faint smirk. “Fancy meeting someone else this far out.”
On closer inspection, the boy was fairly attractive with midnight hair and striking blue eyes, but he appeared to have Sephiroth’s same terrible sense of fashion in thinking that black leather was a complete outfit. Genesis could have rolled his eyes, but he didn’t know anything else about this stranger yet.
“Terribly sorry if I scared off whatever you’re lying in wait for,” he continued in a tone of voice that suggested he wasn’t sorry at all. Brushing a stray black feather off his shoulder pauldron, he finally voiced the reason for his sudden visit.
“Teleportation is a fascinating bit of magic, isn’t it? I don’t suppose you picked that up in this world...” It was worth a shot, at least. At any rate, it didn’t feel like a coincidence that he found a boy with unheard of powers in the tower’s shadow.
When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me
❞
The wind of the stranger's landing indeed swept through Noctis' hair, causing him to raise an eyebrow and look over his shoulder, not noticing the Coeurls, startled, taking off in random directions. At this point, the hunt was over, and this man adorned in crimson attire had his full attention. After an apology for chasing off Noctis' bounty, he addressed his warping ability. Aside from random Kingsglaives possessing the ability (and some not), this was the first time he had been asked about it point blank. With the resurgence of other powered individuals, his abilities were just pooled with what everyone else was able to do. The likes of Cloud, Lightning, and the Warrior of Light matched his abilities with power to spare.
He stood, balancing on the uneven surface, with his shoulders back, and decided to humor the man. Unless he had some weird power absorbing ability, it wouldn't hurt to indulge him even slightly. If anything, Noctis decided the man was not posing a threat… for the moment.
"It's kind of a family thing." he called out his sword again. "I throw this, then I go wherever it flies to." he banished the blade and let his arm fall to his side again. He had been studying the man's stature, his body language, since he had turned around. He exuded strength, almost as if Noctis could see visible flames rising off of him. His eyes shined a unique greenish blue that looked familiar, almost glowing out from under his auburn hair. What was confusing was that his posture and attitude almost reflected the opposite. To anyone who hadn't been battle hardened, or otherwise had the sense about them, this man would just look like a flamboyant thespian of some sort.
Still, Noctis felt that engaging this man in any kind of battle would be more difficult than the skirmish with Lightning he had months prior. With his power waxing and waning the way it was, he needed to be careful, especially with these quiet ones.
"I assume, based on your appearance, that you aren't exactly from this world, either." Noctis stated, resting his hands on his hips, somewhat fascinated at how difficult this man was to read.
“A family thing,” Genesis echoed, eyeing the blade that the boy called back to his hand in a flash of blue light. His powers were hereditary then. That was both intriguing and disappointing at the same time. Genesis had never heard of magic working that way before, so his curiosity was piqued, but that of course meant that it wasn’t something he could acquire here. Ah well. He’d only considered it a possibility for the past thirty seconds or so anyway. Nothing lost.
“Ripples form on the water’s surface, the wandering soul knows no rest,” he quoted more for his own benefit as the boy banished his sword from view again. It wasn’t as if the dark-haired stranger would have even heard of Loveless before after all, which was a crime in Genesis’ eyes, but an unavoidable one while he was trapped on another world. Perhaps he should put the play to paper in his spare time. Zephon’s theatres would be greatly improved by the inclusion of Loveless.
“Quite the handy piece of magic,” he finally chose to respond to the boy's explanation. “You must be an impossible opponent in a fight if you can’t be disarmed.” Still, his eyes shone with the possibility as he considered the thought. Beating worthy fighters was always a thrill. Once upon a time, his rivalry with Sephiroth had been one of his greatest motivators in Soldier, but that hadn’t been relevant in a long time. Not when some of the warriors being brought here proved to be Sephiroth’s equal. He wondered how the lean boy in front of him would fight, but it would be better to hold that thought until the end. It wouldn’t do to antagonize him before Genesis had gotten all the information from him that he could.
Genesis let out a slightly dry laugh as his companion pointed out that he wasn’t from this world originally either. “Whatever gave it away?” he asked teasingly, letting his wing flutter in the wind before he pulled it in tightly against his back again. “No, I’m new here as well. Genesis,” he introduced himself lightly before gesturing towards the tower above them with one gloved hand.
“I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone else this far out. Are you looking to venture inside as well?” Perhaps the boy wouldn’t make a bad travelling companion if that were the case. Though a part of Genesis still itched to know if he could beat an opponent with powers like that.
When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me
❞
Noctis took note of the name, and gave a short nod. "I'm Noctis" he said, short and sweet, for the moment. Genesis had made an inquiry of the tower that stood behind him, and Noctis turned to eye the structure, deciding that, if anything, this man had a sense of honor rather than stab the King in the back.
"That place is a structure built on lies and prophecy. As far as I know, neither myself or anyone that's gone in that place has ever gleaned anything other than confusion and frustration from trying to scale it, what with the entities guarding it." he looked over his shoulder back to Genesis. "Right now, I'm just hunting to pass the time while I wait for a certain Plague to show himself… Then I'll make my move."
This Genesis didn't seem in the least bit trustworthy, but, at the same time… he did. It actually kind of weirded Noctis out just how ambivalent this man seemed to be. A rather challenging enigma, as Ignis would have called him. It didn't matter, though, because there would be a chance that Noctis could at least get a passive ally in this fight… and something about the eyes and their glow more or less gave away that Genesis was exceedingly powerful. He only wished he knew where he had seen them before…
No matter. "If you were looking to go inside the Tower, I've been in there once before. Maybe we can beat some truth out of the Guardians inside?" Noctis extended the invitation because last time he had a rather hot headed Queen on his side before. Excellent in combat, but had no sense in self preservation. If anything, Noctis knew that this warrior before him seemed to revel at a challenge, what with his talk of Noct's powers.
"Hell, if we survive, I'll even spar with you." he added as a bargaining chip, seeing how far he could get.
The boy introduced himself, and Genesis had only minor success at suppressing his snort. “Noctis? A bit on the nose, don’t you think?” He glanced from the boy’s midnight hair to his dark clothes before shaking his head. “Well, whatever alias you want to use is hardly my business…”
At Genesis’ question about his motives here, Noctis turned his back on him to glance at the foreboding tower. It was hardly difficult to miss after all--they were practically standing in its shadow between its gargantuan height and the angle of the sun at this hour. As they both gazed up at it, Noctis gave him a pretty bleak overview of the structure, and Genesis pursed his lips in slight disappointment. “Really? No one’s ever gotten anything from it?” That made his chances of this visit being successful fairly slim, but he hadn’t flown all the way out here just to turn back now.
“Dare I ask what “plague” you’re looking for?” Genesis asked with some amusement at the boy’s vague description of what he was hunting. He wasn’t certain if that was meant to be some monster’s name, or if Noctis was a healer and just being dramatic. He supposed he could appreciate the second one at any rate. Dramatic people were often the most interesting.
He was a little surprised that Noctis offered to go with him inside the tower, and he couldn’t help a pleased laugh when he suggested they could even spar if they were still in good shape afterward. “My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess,” he quoted with a wry smile. “I do believe I’d like that.” Some company would have been nice even if Noctis hadn't been inside before, but as it was, he could only be an asset.
Shielding his eyes from the sun, he squinted up towards the roof of the structure, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Those guardians you spoke of. Will they be expecting us to come in from the top?” Noctis could probably see where his mind was going, but just in case, he shot the dark-haired man a slightly challenging smile. “Follow-up question. How are you with heights, Noctis?”
When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me
❞
As per the usual, his name was met with a 'Wow, really?' comment that Noctis had grown used to. Being from a land that's literally in your name wasn't hard in the realm where people hail from that land, but, here? Names such as his, were met with a raised eyebrow, or a shrug. He cast the thought aside, however, when Genesis had addressed him again. The plague?
"It's both a person and an illness. The man's name is Ardyn, and he spreads a literal plague that eventually turns people into Daemons. I thought I had destroyed him back where I came from, but it appears that whatever brought us here can raise the dead. Myself included."
He looked off towards the Tower again, and then back to Genesis when he poetically accepted Noctis' proposal. Guy spoke like he was old. Ancient, even. But Noctis didn't mind. Honestly, it was a bit of a break from the usual sarcasm and facetiousness he got from other allies. He also sensed immense power rolling off of Genesis, so, with Noctis' knowledge of the tower, and this man's strength, they might stand a fighting chance against the stone and metal guardians that await them.
When questioned about heights, Noctis raised an eyebrow. How high up could this guy fly? He straightened his posture, and looked up at the Tower, the top disappearing into the haze and clouds above. The sun never seemed to fully shine, here, almost as if a malevolent magic had taken hold of this place. Noctis kept his grimace of the idea of what was at the top internal, and looked back to Genesis. "Well, just don't drop me." he said, giving a grin.
Genesis quirked an eyebrow as Noctis explained what he meant by the plague that he’d been trying to track. “He turns men into monsters?” Truthfully he was a lot more intrigued by the concept than Noctis would probably care to realize. It sounded a little like what he himself had done during his attacks on Shinra when he’d created himself an army of copies. Genesis didn’t have the ability to do that here of course--creating copies of himself had required both Hollander and Shinra technology, neither of which existed on Zephon. Still, it made him wonder about this Ardyn, and what had driven him to that point. Despite what most of the so-called heroes seemed to believe, people didn’t turn on all of society for nothing.
“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for him then.” Maybe not for the reasons Noctis wanted, but what the boy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. “Also, what exactly was that about you coming back from the dead?” Now that was intriguing, and not something that Genesis had heard before. Some people had been dead before waking up here? He wasn’t sure what that said about whatever force had brought them all here, but it did make him wonder about Sephiroth. Every media outlet in the world had claimed that Sephiroth had died in Nibelheim (even if the true circumstances of his death had been buried), and Genesis had believed it once the silver-haired man had never once shown his face over the next four years. Sephiroth himself seemed to have no memory of that incident, but if people really could return from the dead here...
Well. He could ponder that later.
Shaking his head to rid himself of thoughts of Sephiroth, Genesis laughed a little when Noctis’ expression suggested that he was clearly doubting him. “Well, maybe not the very top,” he conceded, shading his eyes to look at where the tower vanished from view amongst the clouds. “I suppose we may start running low on oxygen before then. But let’s see if we can’t get a head start against the guardians at the front, hm?”
Truthfully he was a little surprised that Noctis agreed to be carried up, and he laughed harder at his cheeky comment about dropping him. He supposed that the boy probably had less fear of heights than most people, given his ability to warp, but it was still bold to dive right in to something like that with a stranger. Whatever else happened from here, he decided that he rather liked Noctis.
“Don’t squirm around then,” was the only warning he gave before he grabbed his arm and swept him up bridal-style. It probably did nothing for Noctis’ self-esteem, but it really was the best position since it left his wing free. Sweeping it out to the side, he shot them both upward in a shower of wind and black feathers.
Genesis flew them both closer to the tower, eyes scanning the smooth stone walls that looked a little worn from weather and time. Windows dotted the columns, but he ignored them for now in favor of flying higher. There was no need to choose a low floor when he was in no particular hurry. Thankfully Noctis wasn’t overly heavy, since despite his lithe muscles he remained a few inches shorter than Genesis. That certainly made this easier.
Genesis had just flown them high enough that a low-hanging patch of cloud had obscured his vision when an ominous creak of stone alerted him that their time for searching may have reached its end. He couldn’t quite tell where the movement had come from within the haze of cloud, and he swore under his breath as he realized that he wouldn’t be able to draw his sword or use any materia with Noctis in his arms.
“Change of plans!” He called as he swung around to face the closest window. It happened to be a beautifully designed stained-glass mosaic, but Genesis didn’t have time to mourn its loss before he chucked the boy towards it, trusting that Noctis could warp the rest of the way if he’d misjudged the distance. “Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return,” he called after him as he drew his red rapier. The sound of the stone guardian was closer now, and Genesis called on the Barrier materia set in the hilt of his sword to cast a quick protective spell on himself before he tried to follow Noctis through the shattered window. He didn’t mind airborne fighting, but not when he couldn’t see.
When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me
❞
Getting carried up the side of a seemingly infinitely tall tower didn't worry Noctis. The last venture placed him and another stranger against a goliath of stone, yet even that didn't worry him. What worried him was the discovery that lay for them above. If there wasn't anything to find, and their arrival was just random, pointless, what would that mean? As a man bound by fate in his previous life, he knew that fate's chains could oft be shaken, and even broken. His new poetic friend likely knew this, as well, which Noctis made a mental note to glean his story from him at a later time.
After all, Noctis enjoyed hearing stories from other worlds.
The ascent was faster than he expected, Genesis packing more strength in that solitary wing than one would realize, and Noctis braced himself as he scanned the side of the tower. Outside defenses were always a possibility, though, himself and his previous comrade didn't traverse the outer parts as they ascended. The shifting of stone alerted his courier, and Noctis half knew what was coming next. His suspicions were instantly confirmed as he was hurled towards one of the stained glass windows, and Noctis summoned the Bow of the Clever, firing two shots into the glass to shatter it.
He plunged through, banishing the blade and summoned the Mace of the Fierce, standing his ground in the event of a surprise attack. He scanned the room he landed in, realizing that it was quite… empty. Not furnished, no wall decor, just flat stone and glass. His feet crunched on the broken glass as he stood up straight, banishing the Mace and letting out a sigh of half relief. No opposition… yet. He turned, looking at the window, realizing that his companion had yet to come through. "Tch." he put his fingers up to his lips and let out a shrill whistle, signaling his location to Genesis, and then moving out of the way, hoping the sound would allow him to locate the entry way, before hearing the shifting of stone again. He turned, alert, but realized that the tower itself was shifting, like gears in a clock.
Noctis turned out to be full of surprises. It appeared that Genesis hadn’t quite thrown the boy far enough for him to crash through the window, but he summoned a crossbow of all things to break the glass before disappearing in a blur of blue. Genesis hadn’t thought that anyone outside of medieval plays still had weapons like that, so it gave him a good chuckle as he wondered where Noctis came from before the ominous creaking of stone reminded him of his precarious position.
They were high enough up the tower that it was still difficult to see where the sound was coming from, so Genesis hovered in place for a moment, his sword in hand as he tried to judge what was happening. Surely the stone guardians at the front couldn’t reach them here, but Genesis didn’t yet have a better explanation.
A shrill whistle from inside the shattered window told him that Noctis was getting impatient. Scowling, Genesis flew towards the new hole in the wall, pulling in his wing to fold against his back at the last moment as he lightly landed on the stone floor. His boots crunched against broken glass as he moved to join Noctis in the middle of the empty room.
“I’m not a dog you know,” he complained. “Also, can you pull any weapon out of the ether? I’m starting to get jealous.” It would certainly be convenient at any rate, and Genesis sheathed his sword under his red leather coat before taking in his surroundings. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about the room, and as Genesis glanced behind them, he realized that a sense of decor wasn’t the only thing the room was missing. “Odd. There’s no door...”
It gave the room more of a dungeon vibe than it held at first glance, but before Genesis could ponder that further, the creak of stone echoed around the room again. On alert, he glanced back at the window, but the sound seemed to be coming from inside the room. It took seeing the realization on Noctis’ face for him to understand that what they’d been hearing wasn’t a stone guardian at all. It was the tower itself moving.
“Oh wonderful. It’s a shifting maze,” Genesis muttered as Noctis wondered aloud what the hell this place was. “I haven’t the faintest idea. You’re the one who’s been here before.” The moving walls had unearthed a single dim passageway that led out of the room, and Genesis glanced at his dark-haired companion for his thoughts before peering down the dark stone steps. They seemed to lead down to a lower floor, which was altogether not what Genesis would have preferred when they were trying to reach the top of the tower.
“Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess,” he reminded himself before turning back towards Noctis. “I don’t suppose you have a light in whatever void you keep pulling things from?” He had his fire materia of course, but that wouldn’t be the best idea in a confined stairwell.
